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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #238010
Title: Genome Variation Within Triticale in Comparison to its Wheat and Rye Progenitors

Author
item MA, XUE-FENG - Ceres, Inc
item Gustafson, J

Submitted to: CIMMYT Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/3/2009
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Genome variation in the intergeneric wheat-rye hybrid triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) has been a puzzle to scientists and plant breeders since the first triticale was synthesized. The existence of unexplained genetic variation in triticale as compared to the parents has been a hindrance to breeders around the world and has hindered the agronomic improvement of the crop. The present study was designed to characterize genome variation (both structural and genetic) and assess the timing and rate of occurrence of genome variation in hexaploid and octoploid triticales using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses. The experimental results clearly showed the occurrence of considerable genomic sequence variation when wheat and rye genomes were placed in a triticale background. The presence of variation within rye genome was much higher than that within any of the wheat genomes. In addition, much of the genome variation occurred immediately following wide hybridization, and before chromosome doubling. On average, in triticales, about 41% of the wheat parental banding pattern variation was observed, and 71% of the rye parental band variation observed occurred in the F1 hybrids. Any variation that occurred after chromosome doubling appeared to be fairly continuous and occurred at a small rate. Though the total variation in hexaploid triticale was higher than that in octoploid triticale, the rate of variation by generations was very similar between the hexaploid and octoploid triticale. The data also showed that the rate of repetitive sequence variation was significantly higher than that in low-copy sequences. Cytoplasm and parental genome relationships appeared to be key factors in establishing the direction, amount, timing, and rate of genomic variation that occurred in the wheat-rye hybrid triticale.